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Rough Riders Week Ahead

May 5, 2004 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Long Island Rough Riders News Release


(Plainview, NY, May 5, 2004) - The Long Island Rough Riders' third game of the 2004 PSL season will be this Saturday, May 8 in Manchester, N.H., against the New Hampshire Phantoms. Under new Head Coach Ronan Wiseman, the young Rough Riders have opened the season with a 0-1-1 record as they continue to develop into a cohesive team.

After scoring an injury-time goal to salvage a 1-1 tie against the Westchester Flames on opening day, Long Island suffered a 3-1 loss to the Western Mass Pioneers last weekend. The Rough Riders need to secure a victory this weekend as the first four games of the season also count towards US Open Cup qualifying.

Long Island midfielder Stephen Franzke has started the season as the team's most consistent player and was named the Rough Riders' "Player Of The Match" in their first two games. Forwards Moussa Sy and Shaun Higgins are considered very dangerous and exciting to watch, having created a number of scoring chances. Derrick Etienne, the Rough Riders' best striker in 2003, is another proven scoring threat. Coaches Ronan Wiseman and Paul Caffrey are looking for more support from the midfield. "After this week's practice, we will know more about possible line-up changes," said Assistant Coach Caffrey.

New Hampshire will be playing only their second game of the season. Last weekend saw a 3-3 draw in Westchester against the Flames. The Phantoms got goals from Ryan Ackerman, Anthony D'Angelo and Bjorn Hansen. Midfielder Richard Fleming had an outstanding performance, assisting on two goals, earning him PSL "Player Of The Week" honors.

New Hampshire's Head Coach Jim DeDeus is leading the team for his third season. Last year, the Phantoms finished 11-7-2, losing in the first round of the playoffs. The Rough Riders ended at 13-4-3, placing them 2nd in the PSL for the regular season, but lost in the regional finals. In their one head-to-head match last year, the New Hampshire Phantoms defeated the Rough Riders 2-1 at Long Island's Citibank Park.

"New Hampshire is a good team that has given us a hard time over the last couple of seasons. We need to rebound after last week's disappointing performance," said Wiseman. "We all know last week's game was unacceptable and we're anxious to put it behind and start winning games."

For team and ticket information, please contact the Long Island Rough Riders front office at (516)671-1585 or email us at info@liroughriders.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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